Try Not To Suck

With his irreverant personality, laid-back approach, and penchant for the unexpected, Joe Maddon is a singular presence among Major League Baseball managers. Whether he's bringing clowns and live bear cubs to spring training or leading the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series victory in 108 years, Maddon is always one to watch. In Try Not to Suck, ESPN's Jesse Rogers and MLB.com's Bill Chastain fully explore Maddon's life and career, delving behind the scenes and dissecting that mystique which makes Maddon so popular with players and analysts alike. Packed with insight, anecdotes, and little-known facts, this is the definitive account of the curse-breaker and trailblazer at the helm of the Cubs' new era.

Discover how the freedom of sucking at something can help you build resilience, embrace imperfection, and find joy in the pursuit rather than the goal. What if the secret to resilience and joy is the one thing we’ve been taught to avoid? When was the last time you tried something new? Something that won’t make you more productive, make you more money, or check anything off your to-do list? Something you’re really, really bad at, but that brought you joy? Odds are, not recently. As a sh*tty surfer and all-around-imperfect human Karen Rinaldi explains in this eye-opening book, we live in a time of aspirational psychoses. We humblebrag about how hard we work and we prioritize productivity over play. Even kids don’t play for the sake of playing anymore: they’re building blocks to build the ideal college application. But we’re all being had. We’re told to be the best or nothing at all. We’re trapped in an epic and farcical quest for perfection. We judge others on stuff we can’t even begin to master, and it’s all making us more anxious and depressed than ever. Worse, we’re not improving on what really matters. This book provides the antidote. (It’s Great to) Suck at Something reveals that the key to a richer, more fulfilling life is finding something to suck at. Drawing on her personal experience sucking at surfing (a sport she’s dedicated nearly two decades of her life to doing without ever coming close to getting good at it) along with philosophy, literature, and the latest science, Rinaldi explores sucking as a lost art we must reclaim for our health and our sanity and helps us find the way to our own riotous suck-ability. She draws from sources as diverse as Anthony Bourdain and surfing luminary Jaimal Yogis, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Jean-Paul Sartre, among many others, and explains the marvelous things that happen to our mammalian brains when we try something new, all to discover what she’s learned firsthand: it is great to suck at something. Sucking at something rewires our brain in positive ways, helps us cultivate grit, and inspires us to find joy in the process, without obsessing about the destination. Ultimately, it gives you freedom: the freedom to suck without caring is revelatory. Coupling honest, hilarious storytelling with unexpected insights, (It’s Great to) Suck at Something is an invitation to embrace our shortcomings as the very best of who we are and to open ourselves up to adventure, where we may not find what we thought we were looking for, but something way more important.

Lessons in baseball enlightenment from three-time MLB Manager of the Year Joe Maddon. No one sees baseball like Joe Maddon. He sees it through his trademark glasses and irrepressible wit. Raised in the “shot and beer” town of Hazleton, PA, and forged by 15 years in the minors, Maddon over 19 seasons in Tampa Bay, Chicago, and Anaheim has become one of the most successful, most colorful, and most quoted managers in Major League Baseball. He is a workplace culture expert, having engineered two of the most stunning turnarounds in the past quarter century: taking the Rays from the worst record in baseball one year to the World Series the next and leading the Cubs to their first World Series title in 108 years. Like his teams, Maddon defies convention. He is part strategist, part philosopher, part sports psychologist, and part motivational coach. In THE BOOK OF JOE, Maddon gives readers unique insights into the game, including the tension between art and data, the changing role of managers as front offices gain power, why the honeymoon with the Cubs did not last, and what it’s like to manage the modern player, including stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Yu Darvish, and Kris Bryant. But you expect even more from a manager who meditates daily, admires Twain, and has only one rule when it comes to a team dress code: “If you think you look hot, wear it!” And Maddon delivers. Built on-old school values and new-school methods, his wisdom applies beyond the dugout. His mantras about leadership, mentorship, team building, and communication are meditations on life, not just baseball. Among those mantras are: “Do simple better.” “Try not to suck.” “Don’t ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure.” “See it with first-time eyes.” “Tell me what you think, not what you’ve heard.” THE BOOK OF JOE is Maddon at his uniquely holistic best. It is a memoir of a fascinating baseball journey, an insider’s look at a changing game, and a guidebook on leadership and life.

Do you know someone who sucks? Do you suck? Would you like to stop sucking? If so, you've found the right book. How not to suck will show you who sucks (everyone) and what sucks (most everything). From there, you will learn how to become the speed bump on the sucky highway. So, get your helmet, strap it on, and get ready to tackle suckage right in its tracks. Chapter titles include: How not to suck in bed (or why you should), How not to be an Ugly American, The reasons work sucks and how to stop the madness, and many many more (not actual title, but maybe it should be.) Now REEL BIG FISH approved!!!

“Wish I’d Known . . . . Nuggets of Wisdom Learned Along the Journey” began to take shape as the author recalled the vicissitudes of life itself. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Prov. 16:9 – NIV). His life’s experiences and career choices have involved the disciplines of fine arts, mental health, criminal justice, higher education academia, parenting, ethics and spirituality. He has experienced a magnificently blessed existence, but not without numerous unforeseen difficulties. His “ramblings” (he calls them ‘entries’, not ‘chapters’) may serve as a primer for others who desire to experience ‘the good life’. The entries are not a cookbook for all the self-help needs we experience. Rather, they remind the reader of the wisdom and importance of “carpe diem’, making the most of each day that God has granted! “What is your life?.... A mist that appears for a little time then vanishes. . . . Say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” (James 4:14-15 – ESV) While the author writes from a Judeo-Christian perspective, even the agnostic or atheist will appreciate these timeless truths regarding everyday living! “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Prov. 19:21 – MSG).

This book offers step-by-step details on how to plan and execute library workshops and programs to inspire creativity in teens. Music, movies, graphic novels, and magazines for teens are now commonplace in libraries, and librarians are in a unique position to go beyond simply providing teens with access to them; they can engage teens in creating and sharing their own original content. Written in a light, accessible manner, this book empowers youth services librarians to do just that. Murder Mystery, Graphic Novels, and More provides instruction on hosting creative workshops dedicated to creating and publishing graphic novels; writing and performing interactive murder mystery events; creating animation films; and more—all within a reasonable budget. The chapter on creating graphic novels is itself an original graphic novel drawn by the author, who is also a comic book artist, and a portion of the book lists and explains different "creativity games" both short and long that may be used as everything from icebreakers to exercises to programs in their own right.

Recovery is hard, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. If sobriety were easy, everybody who wanted to be sober would be. And especially for those who are just starting out in Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or another Twelve Step program, the prospect of trying to change drinking, using, or other harmful behaviors can seem overwhelming. The good news is there are just three key things we need to focus on. Trust God. Clean house. Help others. Three Simple Rules offers a new take on this valuable slogan and explains how these rules can help anyone find fulfilling recovery. Author Michael Graubart also knows that those six short words are packed with meaning and may not sound so straightforward. Luckily, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Michael uses wit and wisdom gained in more than twenty years of Twelve Step recovery to explain what worked for him so you can figure out what works you. In Michael’s experience, if you follow the Steps, and focus on the three simple rules, you’ll be changed by the process.

Contains the first 3 books of the Last Mayor series, over 1000 pages, PLUS additional content exclusive to the box set. One year ago talented comic book artist Amo fell into a mysterious coma, dying and reviving multiple times. The experience left him mentally crippled, assaulted by devastating migraines that shut him down for days at a time. Now he's in recovery, leading a quiet life in New York City, avoiding any undue stress. He's started doing his art again. He can even watch a little TV. And there's a girl in his favorite coffee shop that seems to really dig his latest painting… Then he wakes up one day and the streets outside are empty. A plane tumbles from the sky to crash into Manhattan. The migraines seem to have finally stopped, but there's something far worse in their place. And Amo will have to face it completely alone… A blistering take on the end of the world and one man's ingenious struggle to survive, with a twist that'll rip off your head and eat your brains. - How do you survive when the whole world wants you dead? - Where does hope come from when you're the last one alive? Exclusive Content - Exclusive author interview hinting at the future of the Last Mayor series. - Exclusive character concept art. - Exclusive 'Deleted Scenes' not available anywhere else. Have you got the creativity, resilience and downright heroism to survive when the world goes to hell? Measure yourself against Amo and get the three book box set now. If you like 'Dark Matter', 'The Girl with all the Gifts' or 'Ready Player One' you will love the Last Mayor series.